Perhaps as important an asset as Fahim's personal loyalty and political savvy is the fact that he is widely trusted by "the establishment," the name Pakistanis give to the powerful nexus of the military, top bureaucrats and influential businessmen.

The recent investigation was ordered with the government of Pakistan consequent to the disturbing disclosures and evidence by some countries to international agencies relating to alleged proliferation activities by certain Pakistanis and foreigners over the last two decades.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials have finally registered a criminal case against the administration of the Lal Mosque in Islamabad for kidnapping seven Chinese, six of whom are women and two male Pakistanis from a Chinese-owned massage centre in the heart of federal Capital on Friday night.

Over the short-term Pakistanis are really stuck, but over the long-term the onus falls onto the "non-aligned" professional class within Pakistan and the diaspora to bring about comprehensive political solutions and alternative religious practices and discourses to supplant the authority of the current political and religious leadership.

One concern for the Pakistanis is a continued U.S. security presence in the region post-2014, which may entail retaining military bases in Afghanistan and using them for counterterrorism missions against al-Qaeda and other high value targets in Pakistan.